


He's a Ten

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Carnival, Fluff, M/M, Or Is It?, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2018-09-05
Packaged: 2019-07-07 03:40:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15900162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Moniwa goes to a school carnival in the hopes of running into a certain super-ace.





	He's a Ten

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Spring_Emerald](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spring_Emerald/gifts).



“Is this weird?  This is weird. We should just go.”  Moniwa tried to turn and walk away but Kamasaki and Sasaya grabbed an arm each and simply lifted him.  Moniwa hung his head in shame as his friends carried him towards the school carnival.

 

“It’s a public event, anyone can attend.”  Sasaya reminded Moniwa as they let him go at the ticket booth.  They all paid for their tickets and Moniwa resisted the urge to run away.

 

“Plus they are rich so think of the food they have here.”  Kamasaki said, rubbing his hands together like some kind of old movie villain.

 

“Right, we’re just here for the food and games.”  Sasaya stated. “And if we happen to run into a certain super-ace then it’s all just a coincidence.”  He grinned as Kamasaki laughed on Moniwa’s other side. For his part, Moniwa turned red and tried to walk away from his friends.  He wasn’t really all that serious about ditching them so they managed to keep pace with him easily.

 

They were all desperate to escape their impending futures, at least just for the night.  Sasaya had heard from his girlfriend about Shiratorizawa’s school carnival, how extravagant it was.  Moniwa didn’t have the heart to tell Sasaya that it was his girlfriends way of subtly trying to get him to ask her to go, not for him to try and play matchmaker with Moniwa and his three-year old crush.

 

The thing was his friends were a little biased when it came to him.  As flattering as it was that Sasaya and Kamasaki thought that Moniwa not only deserved anyone he wanted but could actually get them, he knew it for the farce it was.  Especially since the person Moniwa had been crushing on was Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was pretty much guaranteed a starting position on any college he choose to attend while Moniwa had to rely more on his grades to get him into university.

 

It had started when they were both first years, back when Ushijima was already a household name and Moniwa was even shorter than he was now on a team of giants in a sport where height mattered.  Shiratorizawa spent most practice matches against college-level teams, but sometimes they would play against Date Tech or Aoba Johsai. Moniwa had met Ushijima during their first practice match together, subbing in for the third year setter who had gotten a nose bleed.

 

Even when they were only fifteen, Ushijima was a force to be reckoned with.  Moniwa couldn’t even dream of being on his level but he had taken a deep breath and reminded himself that volleyball was a team sport.  He was short and scrawny, only subbing in until the real setters nose stopped bleeding, but he had faith in the other players and it was his job to set the ball so they could slam it home.

 

Shiratorizawa had slaughtered them, though they had made the other team fight for every point.  Moniwa had only managed to stay on the court with Ushijima for five measly points before the starting setter had taken his place once more.

 

Later that day Moniwa had been checking over the area where Date Tech had left all their bags, grabbing a forgotten lunchbox and a shoe of all things.  Moniwa had straightened up to give one last look around the gym when his eyes met Ushijima’s. Even at fifteen it was obvious that Ushijima was going to be one of the biggest, there seemed to be something incomplete that promised to fill out over the years.

 

Moniwa had waved because he wasn’t sure what else he should have done.  Ushijima had looked away quickly and Moniwa had scurried out of the gym when his captain hollered for him, embarrassed that he had actually waved to Ushijima.

 

More practice matches happened on top of real matches.  Moniwa saw Ushijima plenty and the other teen always seemed to be not only busy but surrounded by other people.  But Moniwa received a shock when Ushijima came up to him during a break and introduced himself, like Moniwa didn’t know who he was.

 

It had sparked something of more than just a crush in Moniwa.  He had actual interactions with Ushijima, who found it difficult to interact with people but that didn’t stop him from trying.  Ushijima loved volleyball but he also liked to garden with his grandmother, he adored any type of dog, and he smiled very rarely but when he did, it was something beautiful.  Ushijima also didn’t seem surprised when Moniwa told him he was the captain, he never looked down at Moniwa for his lack of height.

 

They  _ texted _ and Moniwa felt his heart pick up speed everytime he heard the familiar ding at precisely 7:30pm.  Ushijima had evening practice after school, he showered, ate dinner, finished his homework, and then texted Moniwa.  When there were breaks in school and Ushijima went home to spend time with his family, Moniwa received pictures of Ushijima’s family dog.  A fairly old golden retriever with a graying muzzle who enjoyed long naps on Ushijima’s lap.

 

“We passed up all the food stalls.”  Moniwa finally spoke up as he followed his friends, feeling hopeless and a little hungry.

 

“There’s a stall we want to- oh there it is.”  Sasaya said and Moniwa cursed their added heights because he couldn’t see over the crowd to what they were looking at.  Most likely a game they could compete at, Moniwa wondered if he should let them win a few rounds before absolutely crushing them.  Small he might be but he was quite skilled at carnival games.

 

“Do we have new challengers?”  A sly voice asked that sounded far too familiar to Moniwa.  He found out soon enough when they made their way to the front of the crowd near a beanbag toss game and saw a head of wild red hair.  “Hmm you look familiar.” Tendou Satori said, practically drapping himself across the front of the booth to stare at them. Kamasaki already looked like he was going to deck the guy, which was probably a new record.  Tendou always played this game and Kamasaki always fell for it.

 

“It’s the third years from Date Tech.”  Semi Eita spoke up from where he was lounging on a chair that was leaned back on only two of its legs.  He looked completely bored as he texted on his phone without looking down at it.

 

“Moniwa?”  Moniwa jumped at that new voice and looked over to who he had really wanted to see and yet dreaded seeing at the carnival.

 

“Hello Ushijima!”  Moniwa greeted, aborting his bow half way through.  He could feel the members of Shiratorizawa watching him with interest and it made his face heat up.  “Sasaya’s girlfriend said the carnival here was one of the best so we decided to check it out to take a break from studying.”

 

“Taking breaks are important.”  Ushijima agreed.

 

“I’m sorry but we are working here, so if you want to talk, you have to pay.”  Satori leaned over Ushijima’s shoulders, pressing close into Moniwa’s face. Kamasaki rolled up a sleeve as he stepped forward and slapped money down onto the counter.  “Do you even know how to play?”

 

“Toss the bag into the hole, how hard is that?”  Kamasaki asked, irritation written all over his face.  Sasaya and Moniwa exchanged an exasperated look.

 

“How simple-minded.”  Tendou booped Kamasaki right on the nose, surprising the other teen who reared back.  “You get three bags, the holes are numbers you see? You have to use three tosses to add up to ten.  Can you do that?”

 

“He’s being extra annoying, should I hit him?”  Semi asked.

 

“You haven’t done so in three years so why not let it end like that?”  Oohira Reon asked, to which Semi sighed loudly before looking back at his phone.

 

“How about this?”  Tendou leaned forward, right back into Moniwa’s space once more.  Moniwa tried to see the intimidating teen as Ushijima did, as one of his very few friends but Moniwa just couldn’t understand it.  “You get ten and we’ll let you go with our wonderboy ‘Toshi?”

 

“Tendou we still have forty minutes before the second years are supposed to take over.”  Ushijima said, voice deep enough to make Moniwa’s stomach clench. “And Moniwa came with his friends, he did not come to spend time with me.”  If Moniwa hadn’t been paying such close attention then he wouldn’t have seen the quick downturn of Ushijima’s mouth at that.

 

Moniwa exchanged a quick look with his friends, who stepped back and motioned him forward.  Moniwa took the money Kamasaki had already put down and pushed it towards Tendou with a challenging look.  If Tendou wanted Moniwa to earn his time with Ushijima then so be it.

 

“If he gets to leave then I’m leaving too.”  Semi mumbled but no one answered him as Tendou slapped three beanbags in front of Moniwa.

 

Moniwa weighed the first bag and looked at the numbered holes.  The thing many people were surprised by was Moniwa was athletic in most aspects.  Sports were something that had always come easy to him with a little practice. He was the best at volleyball because that’s where he had put most of his time towards, but he had also done a fair share in other sports too.

 

Moniwa tossed the bag into the hole marked 5.

 

Moniwa had liked Ushijima for years but he had never let himself even consider the possibility that Ushijima liked him back.  Maybe his friends hadn’t been biased but had noticed things that Moniwa had shrugged off as Ushijima being friendly towards him.

 

Moniwa tossed the second bag into 3.

 

Perhaps when a fifteen year old Moniwa had waved to Ushijima, he had looked away out of embarrassment and not indifference like Moniwa had first thought.  Perhaps all the times Ushijima had approached Moniwa, had asked for his number and texted him every night was more than just a call to friendship.

 

Moniwa tossed the third bag into hole 2 and smiled at Tendou.

 

“My prize please.”  Moniwa requested politely.

 

“Go and enjoy the carnival Wakatoshi.”  Oohira advised. Semi dropped the chair back onto all four legs and gave Ushijima a glare.

 

“At least one of us should be enjoying it.”  Semi said. Ushijima looked over at Sasaya and Kamasaki.

 

“Takehito has to meet up with his girlfriend anyways.”  Kamasaki said with a shrug, earlier annoyance forgotten.

 

“And Yasushi has a date.”  Sasaya made a kissy face towards Kamasaki, both him and Moniwa laughing as the blondes face turned red.

 

“Is that alright Moniwa?”  Ushijima asked, always polite.  Moniwa gave him his best smile and nodded enthusiastically.

 

“You could show me around, if you wanted?”  Moniwa requested as Ushijima walked out from behind the booth.  Moniwa took a quick breath in, he always seemed to forget how big Ushijima was, especially when he was standing close enough that Moniwa could see the specks of brown in his green eyes.

 

“I do.”  Ushijima nodded.  “There is even a haunted house.”

 

“But you hate scary things.”  Moniwa said in surprise, though he couldn’t help the thrill of excitement that ran through him.

 

“Yes, but you like them.”  Ushijima said, eyes serious as he looked down at Moniwa as they began to walk away from their friends.  Moniwa hid a smile and blush in his scarf as he thought of the possibility of Ushijima grabbing onto him in the haunted house.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for Spring who asked for (on tumblr) carnival+UshiMon!


End file.
